Highest Number of Pedestrian Deaths in California
Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents are becoming more and more common. A common way pedestrians get hit by cars in Elk Grove and Sacramento is when drivers are backing up. Making U-turns, as well as left and right turns are quite common. Another factor to consider is driver distraction. Driver distraction includes cell phone use, texting, or even applying makeup while driving down our roadways. Unfortunately, these behaviors sometimes go unnoticed by law enforcement. What is worse is that driver inattentiveness is causing more and more pedestrian injuries and deaths than we realize.
For two years in a row, California maxed out with the country’s greatest number of pedestrian deaths, new statistics have revealed. As many as 700 pedestrians sustained fatal injuries in vehicle accidents in California in 2014, according to preliminary statistics released by Governors Highway Safety Association.
Sacramento Resident hit by a car while crossing the street to her apartment
It is easy to see how California records the highest number of pedestrian deaths. It seems like the news is consistently reporting on pedestrian injuries and fatalities. On Sunday, November 29, 2015, the news reported a vehicle versus pedestrian accident as a woman was crossing a street near her home. California Highway Patrol says a 37-year old woman was hit and killed as she was crossing Marconi and Fulton Avenue. This tragedy occurred right in front of the apartment where the woman lived. It is a painful reminder of how we can be living our lives one moment, and be gone the next. This is a painful reality check. One that reminds us that pedestrians should be extra cautious at all times.
The driver has a higher duty of care when it comes to pedestrians
According to our California Vehicle Code, even when a pedestrian fails to use a designated crosswalk, the driver still has a high duty of care to look out for the pedestrian.
As California records the highest number of pedestrian deaths, we see how vital it is to have an experienced pedestrian injury attorney on your side. The Edward A Smith Law Offices has experienced attorneys that will assist you in determining true fault in these types of cases.
Ed Smith is an Elk Grove Pedestrian Accident Lawyer with the highest-rated accident information site on the web, AutoAccident.com.
If you or someone dear to you has been involved in a pedestrian versus auto accident, do call me right away at (916) 921-6400 for free, friendly advice at no obligation to you.
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Image Attribution: “Pedestrian sign night fluorescent” by Contributor – selbst fotografiert / self-taken (Own work). Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons